On day one, realtor.com® Chief Marketing Officer Nate Johnson sat down with Cape Cod dynamo Katie Clancy, CEO of The Cape House at William Raveis Realty.

In their "fireside" chat, Nate and Katie discussed the rise of partnership marketing, including why it’s become so popular and what makes it a great fit for real estate. Let’s dive into some of the terrific insights from the session.

What is partnership marketing?

I know it won’t come as a surprise to you folks that partnership marketing is when you form a marketing alliance with someone who has a similar client base or niche.

Together, you create campaigns, events or initiatives that seek to engage that audience. You share the costs of the partnership, as well as the eventual outcomes.

The top three benefits of partnership marketing are:

A shared budget: You don’t have to pay for every last flyer, impression or glass of wine on your own.

The potential to expand your audience: Just as your top fans will get exposure to your partner brand, you’ll naturally get in front of new folks too.

Enhanced credibility: The new exposure comes from consumers who already trust your partner brand. They’ll be more open to learning about you, because they’ll consider you part of their crew.

And of course, partnership marketing is perfect for real estate because it allows real estate agents or their brokerages to partner with other local brands. We talk a lot about being the "market expert" but not enough about being the community expert.

We know that real estate professionals have an incredible opportunity to embed themselves in their local communities, but we sometimes fall short as we seek fast ways to expand our businesses.

I invite (and urge) you to look around your community to see what’s missing. Whether it’s linking up with a local housing advocacy group, or hosting a wine-and-dine event with a brand-new bistro, partnership marketing can help you make a bigger impression in your target market.

Katie Clancy’s top three partnership marketing examples

Example One: The Oyster Guy

For Katie, it started with “John, the oyster guy.” She knew him from years of hocking his fresh, succulent wares on the beaches of East Dennis, where she lives and works. His appeal was that he wasn’t afraid to talk to anyone — his main schtick was walking up and down the beaches each and every day, offering up a free oyster to anyone who made eye contact.

He knows everyone, Katie realized. Meanwhile, she had just joined Facebook and while she knew she needed more likes and followers, she hadn’t the faintest idea how to get them.

Soon after, Katie approached John and made him this deal. “How about for every 100 likes I get on Facebook, I’ll give away a dozen of your oysters to someone?”

For a few $20 investments, Katie was able to build her Facebook business page to hundreds of locals. She posted the photos of her giveaways on the page, and the winners tended to post them, too.

"Who likes oysters?"Katie asked the audience. "Rich people! And so, I tapped into an entirely new market." 🔥🔥🔥

Example Two: The Cape House Martini

But she didn’t stop at oysters! Katie also partnered up with a local bar to create a custom drink, the #CapeHouseMartini. Any time a customer orders it and posts using the hashtag, Katie donates $5 to the local land trust. It’s a win-win for Katie and the bar, but do you see how she went one step further? To ensure that people cared enough to post the martini, she chose to donate proceeds to a third party, one that’s beloved by locals.

Example Three: Pawpalooza and Heroes for Nero

Last, Katie started monthly dog walks, after noticing that a lot of social media “heavy hitters” in her area… were actually of the four-legged variety. Eventually, this evolved into “Pawpalooza” — a larger event, co-sponsored and co-branded with a local kennel.

One mainstay of each Pawpalooza event was a photography booth. Katie takes photos of each dog in a branded Cape House chair, then sends the photos to the owners in exchange for their emails.

When a local cop was killed in the line of duty, Katie could sense that the Cape Cod community was reeling. Katie learned that the police officer’s K-9 partner, Nero, would be going into retirement and she couldn’t stop thinking about the event and its aftermath.

In short, it didn’t seem right to host Pawpalooza, or to brand it to benefit her real estate business. Instead, she helped create Heroes for Nero, a fundraiser dedicated to the Cape Cod Police K-9 Relief, a local organization that cares for retired K-9 dogs.

All told, the event raised more than $50,000 and changed the path of the relief organization. “It was the right thing to do,” says Katie. “It was a gamble, but I have no regrets.”

Four best practices for partnership marketing

1. Find a natural fit

First, Katie recommends doing what comes naturally, by picking partners who may already know you or who seem immediately open to the opportunity. Leverage your existing relationships, while looking for other obvious partners who may be hiding in plain sight.

2. Try everything

Next, says Katie, don’t just stick to one idea — some things may not work, so be sure to test out different ideas and partners, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

While it may seem odd to you to diversify so much, keep in mind that most people will only see ONE of your efforts at first. In Katie’s market, those who don’t eat oysters or drink martinis may have missed her altogether — until they discovered Pawpalooza.

3. Make sure everyone has something to gain

Set up win-win relationships where everyone has something to gain. With the Cape House Martini, the bar has a new offering to put on their menu, one that shows they care about the local land trust. And remember, Katie is the one paying the trust — the bar gets the reputation boost for free.

4. Set goals, and focus on more than just money

Last, set objectives and measure your results in a way that’s best for you. That doesn’t just mean tracking leads and closings and money, says Katie. It can also be about fulfillment. In the case of Heroes for Nero, Katie didn’t measure the success to her own business, but instead focused on the benefit it provided to her local community, which was in need of healing and hope.

About the Author

Kristi Kennelly, former Broadway performer and corporate executive, has been involved in real estate marketing and mortgage technology since 1998 with a focus on effective marketing and sales strategies, communication and how to best leverage technology to get it all done. After spending nine years leading the marketing department for Interthinx, where she helped win Mortgage Technology Magazine’s prestigious 10X and Synergy Awards, Kristi rejoined the realtor.com® team as a national speaker.
For those interested in the Broadway career, Kristi was the youngest performer ever hired for CATS (she performed as “Rumpleteazer” in the Broadway, national and Los Angeles companies) and played opposite Matthew Broderick in How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. Kristi is married with one son and is a year-round Little League fan.